4-year-old surfer a natural’

Sunday

PANAMA CITY BEACH — After falling down, it’s sometimes hard to get back up. But what if falling down is the fun part?

PANAMA CITY BEACH — After falling down, it’s sometimes hard to get back up. But what if falling down is the fun part?

Then you’d be 4-year-old Natal Bowen, an energetic surfer-in-training who enjoys bailing on his surfboard as much as riding the waves to shore.

“They slam me down right in the sand,” Bowen said in an interview at his home.

That’s not to imply Bowen can’t ride waves. Considering his young age, he’s actually pretty good. With a little help from his father, Levi Bowen, he’s been cruising to shore with impressive skill since his family moved to Panama City Beach from Tennessee about three months ago. Levi Bowen is originally from New Zealand, where he surfed for years before moving to the United States. Now he’s passing his knowledge on to his son.

Currently, they are working on his son’s stance. At their home, Natal Bowen was happy to demonstrate, leaping into position with his knees bent and arms extended.

“The first day he stood up kind of straight on, but now he’s full on getting up and turning,” Levi Bowen said. “He’s completely doing it properly. I think at that little age, things come naturally. They stand up, and at first I have to get him to stand sideways, but you just tell him what to do and he’ll do it.”

Perhaps the most impressive part of the younger Bowen’s prowess in the water is that he isn’t the greatest swimmer. He just has a kind of daredevil streak that pushes him toward the water, Levi Bowen said. Natal Bowen said he seeks out bigger waves because “they’re so cool.”

“He has absolutely no fear of the water,” Levi Bowen said. “And we came down this year — I suppose it was before we moved — for like a week and we were so worried because he would just jump in the pool and sink to the bottom. He didn’t care because he thinks you’re going to pull him out. So we got him swimming lessons. He’ll just run straight into the waves and all that kind of stuff.”

Natal Bowen’s mother, Suzanne Bowen, said his willingness to plunge into the unknown reflects his bravery. And as a fitness instructor, she said, she’s always encouraging her children to be active and healthy. Natal Bowen is complimenting his surfing with skateboarding and biking, and has trained in Brazilian jiu-jitsu in the past.

“I think for him, surfing is just super easy,” Suzanne Bowen said.

Natal Bowen shared his mother’s sentiment.

”I’m a natural” he said.

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